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Parvo in Dogs

Do we
have parvo in LA County?

Yes!
Save yourself money, time, and heartache:Vaccinate your dog.

Every year,
hundreds of dogs in our county are diagnosed with canine
parvovirus (aka "parvo"). The number of cases
reported by local veterinarians has been increasing.
Most cases are not reported, to the actual number of
parvo cases is higher.

In the
majority of these cases, the dog had not been vaccinated
or had received a vaccine only once. Most cases could
have been prevented.

Year

# of canine
parvo cases reported
in LA County¹

2010

226 dogs

2011

651 dogs

2012

313
dogs

2013

740
dogs

2014*

336
dogs

¹ Includes both
confirmed cases (94% of
total) and suspected (6%
of total)
* 2014 data as of July 22

What is parvo?

Parvo (canine parvovirus) is a virus
that causes severe illness in dogs. The virus mostly
attacks the intestines, causing nausea, loss of
appetite, vomiting and diarrhea. Sometimes the diarrhea
is severe, watery and bloody. Other times it is moderate
and yellow in color. The virus also harms the immune
system of dogs, making them more likely to get sick from
additional germs. Most Parvo cases occur in puppies, but
unvaccinated adult dogs may also catch the virus.

How do dogs catch parvo?

Parvo is very contagious between dogs.
If a dog that is sick with Parvo spends time near other
dogs, the other dogs will be exposed to the virus. The
virus lives in the diarrhea of the infected dog. The
virus can also get on the haircoat of an infected dog
and survive there for weeks. Finally, the virus can live
for a very long time in the environment (months) where
an infected dog spent time.

What time of the year is parvo most
common?

What should I do if I think my dog
has parvo?

Keep it away from other dogs. Wash
your hands before touching other dogs. Contact you local
veterinarian - they can perform a simple in-office test
on a fecal sample to see if your dog has Parvo. Dogs
with severe cases of Parvo need to be hospitalized to
get fluid treatment and other medications in order to
survive. Dogs with milder cases are sometimes treated
without hospitalization.

How can I protect my dog from parvo?

The Parvo vaccine is part of the
regular vaccinations that all dogs should have. It is
the "P" in the DHLPP vaccine. (The "D" stands for
Distemper, which is another disease commonly found in
dogs in Los Angeles County).

Vaccination against Parvo is a
bargain. It costs much less money to protect your dog
with vaccinations than to treat your dog for parvo. It
is important to remember that more than one Parvo
vaccine must be given to protect your dog. Puppies are
NOT protected until they have received the Parvo vaccine
at least three times at 2, 3, and 4 months of age. Get
the vaccine again one year after that (booster). For
adult dogs that have not been vaccinated (or that have
no known medical history), get the Parvo vaccine two
times, spaced one month apart, and then again a year
later. After that, get the vaccine for your dog at least
once every three years.